


qui vivra verra

by pipedreams123



Series: getting smaller [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Also not entirely sure what underage means but, Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Nothing explicit, Prostitution, Rated for what may happen, Tagging just incase, Time Travel, as in just in case, gen - Freeform, more people come obvi, some OCs, the usual naruto dark stuff, underage drugs technically with soldier pills, underage soldiery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-03-18 18:34:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13687434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pipedreams123/pseuds/pipedreams123
Summary: Kakashi is tired. But the glass tips over.





	1. Chapter 1

A roar ripped through the air, rattling the eardrums of both sides of the battlefield. The source of noise, a man wreathed in a blood red light, soon gained another mirage of a tail behind him, whipping in the air in unison with the other eighth.

The appearance of the ninth tail caused his foes to falter, before charging forward with a new sense of desperation against the newest triumph card of the Leaf-nins.

Not so far away, a special jounin commander slashed and swiped and defeated wave after wave of enemies, simultaneously shouting out orders to the army behind him. A black haired comrade with distinctive red eyes fought with him, covering his blind spots.

With the support of their divisions, they made quick work of left flank of the army of shinobi that had come out to meet them.

After the blood had all but flooded the ground, a rumbling cheer went around as Konoha achieved the first major victory of the day (which, admittedly, only started about five hours ago).

In the few minutes they had as break to transport the wounded and deal with the hostages, they met to regroup. Still grinning with exhaustion, they were startled out of their elation when a monstrous roar sounded. The woman widened her eyes, and a wave of muttering broke out among the assembled ninja.

"You know what that means, right, Kakashi?" she asked, sneaking a glance at her fellow commander from where they were sitting for a few moments of much needed rest. A medic quickly passed them a set of bandages, and they started to bind their major injuries.

The man hummed in response, one eye still gleaming red, focused on the explosion of red chakra in the distance. "We're going to have to change our strategy if the ninth tail was released."

The woman simply blinked, still assessing the ravished battlefield and wrapping up where a kunai had stabbed her arm.

A pink haired woman came hurrying over to them, a young girl stumbling after her, her young violet eyes taking in everything around her. Both wore dirtied and stained white smocks with the symbol of the leaf stitched on.

"Sakura."

"Kurenai-san. Kakashi." Sakura gave a strained smile and a nod to each. "Here, Mina has your new soldier pills." The girl next to her scrambled forward, dropping small white and red pills into the two outstretched hands.

"Remember, only one every hour," Mina cautioned, causing Sakura to ruffle her hair affectionately before snapping back to the brisk attitude he had before.

"The injured need to be transported away," Sakura informed them. "The Kyuubi's chakra is interfering with the healing jutsus, again."

"Take four sectors with you," Kakashi ordered, not pausing to curse his blond student for using the Kyuubi's chakra so early in the battle. "As for the rest of us..." He turned to Kurenai. "Can you take half of those able to where the south point line is? There are quite a few skirmishes surrounding that area, as well as some S-class genjutsu users."

"You want us to take care of them." Kurenai nodded grimly. "Will do. And the rest?"

"I'll lead them to where the Kyuubi is, in Konoha. If the nine tails has to be used, it must be bad." Kakashi turned back to Sakura. "Can you send the report to Shikamaru?"

"I'll see what I can do."

"Dismissed."

Without so much of a further word, they all split, ready to do their next part in this war.

Kakashi got together the scraps of his army (ignoring the consistent pangs of guilt at the lost lives), and one of his operatives, a woman with huge chakra reserves and amazing control, did a mass shushin to get them all to their location. **[1]**

They stopped off to one side of the massive clearing created by overzealous earth jutsus, where most of the fighting was taking place.

Quickly spitting out orders to his shinobi, he swallowed a red pill and jumped into the fray, taking advantage of the primary rush of adrenaline the pill gave him before he had to depend on his own will.

Both sides were evenly matched; there were both obvious losses and obvious wins, as well as the three most destructive fights still going on strong: Tsunade and Jiraiya against the top forces of the New Akatsuki, Hinata along with Itachi (whom he still didn't trust) Uchiha fighting the hordes of White Zetsus and Naruto with Sasuke (whom he trusted as much as his brother) fighting Madara with the ten tailed beast.

The battles weren't as clearly defined, of course. Occasionally, Itachi would deflect a blow from his younger brother, or something similar. But Naruto and Sasuke were in a league in their own in the battle against Madara, clearing the area easily with huge shockwaves.

Kakashi rushed over to Naruto and Sasuke, who, despite the help of the Nine Tails, were being slowly worn out.

They barely had time to exchange a glance with their former sensei before they all were overcome with battle rush, turning into blurs of yellow, red, black, silver...

The Copy-nin fought like he never had before, causing mass destruction, and the soft voice in his head that worried about how much damage he was causing to the environment was quickly stamped out.

In comparison to Naruto, though, Kakashi felt like a gnat for all the impact he was making, and that's not even mentioning the enemy's own contribution.

Maybe it was all the dust from the carnage that caused it. Maybe he was instinctively dodging an unseen blow. Maybe his unhealed injuries were getting to him. Or maybe he should stop making excuses and admit that he was just clumsy.

Whatever happened, Kakashi hoped would never again, as it caused him to trip (something that hasn't happened since he was young and a brat).

He was sent sprawling to the ground. Twin yells reached his ears, as both Naruto and Sasuke desperately sent out jutsus to try and counter the ones sent by Madara, taking advantage of his moment of weakness.

He was halfway onto his feet when the jutsus all collided, hitting Kakashi with enough force to blast him back, out of the clearing and through the trees.

It all happened in a split second.

All Naruto and Sasuke knew, was that their first sensei and one of their closest friends had been sent spiralling away, most likely dead.

_A roar of pain echoed through the country._

All Kakashi knew, was that one second he was alive and ready to fight, the next he was consumed by darkness.

_A blast of chakra, visible to all, pushed upward like a beam, before dissipating._


	2. It's been a while

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since I've been here.

When Kakashi came to, the first feeling that struck him was one of weakness. Then, warmth (and more confusion).

So he didn't die after all. Kakashi wondered if he should be happy or sad about that.

He tried to open his eyes, only to find that the lids wouldn't move. A wave of panic swept through him, enhanced by his still in battle-state mind, and he attempted to thrash and flail.

_So he didn't die after all._

To his relief, he could control his limbs to some extent. They felt awkward as if he was in a body that wasn't his own (an entirely realistic possibility), and on top of that, leaden, as if moving through a heavy fluid. Past that, Kakashi had apparently lost his senses.

_What's going on?_

After the initial shock and adrenaline wore off (though it never did, really), his thoughts felt muddled and unclear, and alarmingly, Kakashi liked the feeling. A lukewarm, placid sensation enveloped him, and he sighed in appreciation. He was at peace, something he hasn't experienced since the beginning of the war.

So when a shift disturbed him, he was irritated. A bright light flashed in on his dark haven, painful searing into his eyelids. He squirmed and kicked with all his might; he didn't want to leave! Kakashi liked it there, it was so nice and warm and comforting and-

A chill enveloped him as something pulled on him, bringing him out to the light. He shivered, and there was an overwhelming sense of loss.

Fear and anger, emotions he usually was able to bury deep, suddenly welled up and tears came pouring out.

_Kami, he felt like a pubescent teenager. "Oh, here comes the waterworks."_

Kakashi cried like he never had before, both out of root fear of this new place, and later surprise that he actually lost control enough to make a noise so loud and raw.

After a few throat searing screeches, Kakashi managed to tone it down to a few sniffles, and actually paid attention to his surroundings. He couldn't see all that well; everything was a big blur. He heard a multitude of voices: people rushing around shouting out orders, a nervous-sounding person (who he guessed was the one holding him) that seemed to be trying to be soothing, and, the most nerve-wracking, a woman screaming herself hoarse.

Kakashi could smell anesthetics and blood as if he was in a hospital. Makes sense, considering that he had probably been heavily injured from the fight. He wondered what happened while he was gone...though he still felt confused about how small he felt and why he was being held and swaddled in blankets like a young child.

The woman's screaming soon stopped and was replaced by heavy gasping. Kakashi was passed over to what he guessed to be the woman's hands, judging by the erratic breaths blowing on his face. She had brown hair, Kakashi mused absently.

"Kak...i...I...lo..." she murmured, and Kakashi strained his ears to hear. For some reason he felt like something important was happening.

Suddenly, the hands holding him stiffened and jerked, and he was quickly caught and transported away as the woman began screaming again.

As he listened to the sound with a new feeling of dread pooling in his stomach, new, rough hands cradled him, unhindered by gloves like the first person, touching his face.

Kakashi felt somewhat embarrassed at the way these strangers were treating him, and squirmed, turning to see this person's face. It seemed to be an uncommonly big blob...with white hair that looked a lot like his own...

His confusion mounted, overpowering the sleepy haziness he felt before, and bringing a sense of sharp focus.

Was he in some kind of genjutsu? But with the Sharingan... _wait, where the hell was Obito's Sharingan?_

After a few minutes of panicking, Kakashi came to the conclusion that this was definitely an illusion. How else could he have been reverted to his baby self (if it even was himself)? Even if he couldn't really tell what was traumatizing about this...past the overwhelming feeling of vulnerability.

_But,_ his mind helpfully supplied, _if this was an illusion, how come you're not dead yet?_

Mentally, Kakashi sent out a wave of his own chakra in order to see if it was a jutsu.

_Wouldn't you sense someone else's chakra being disrupted,_ his mind added, _and why was it so hard to send out that one wave of chakra?_

Apart from the hands holding him stiffening, nothing happened. Kakashi tried again, ignoring his rational mind for a second. With a start, Kakashi noticed he was getting immensely dizzy and exceedingly tired.

Chakra exhaustion?

But he barely did anything! It's not like he really was a baby...right? It was just a genjutsu.

_It's not a genjutsu, so stop hyperventilating!_

In a small corner of his mind, Kakashi wondered if it was normal to hear voices after being reborn.

(The screaming had stopped, but he didn't pause his racing thoughts to acknowledge it)

Once he acknowledged that _yes, he was definitely a baby,_ Kakashi felt strangely calm. Okay, he could deal with this. And if this was a time travel situation...

Depending on how far back he was, he could save all his precious people, could stop the war, could make everything better...

The huge face above him swam to the front of his mind, and he looked up to peer at it. His heart stuttered.

The man holding him was his supposedly dead father, Sakumo Hatake.

The woman that had been screaming was his dying mother.

He just heard his mother die.

-

_what the-_

_where am I?_

_what is- who is that?_

_..._

_Father-?_

_No, he's dead._

But that looks like him-

_He died, remember? Years ago. He's supposed to be long gone._

Pretty sure that we're not supposed to be a baby, as well.

_Maybe a relative?_

Looks too similar-

_Yeah, some other Hatake. Who said they all died, anyway?_

The Hokage.

_Yeah, well, he's dead too, so-_

_So maybe a genjutsu- but didn't he die_

_..._

_isn't he heyouImeyou_

Us or him?

_both_

_..._

_he died. i saw him die. there was- there was that mission and then glares and he got angry and suddenly there was_

_blood everywhere dripdropdripdropdri-_

_and a tanto_

_(gleaming silver- ha, silver)_

_and he wasn't dead but blonde_

_(sunshine)_

_said he was so he hadn't known what to think and wait he was dead too_

_so he shouldn't think_

_but isn't this thinking so what-_

_Are we dead?_

Yes.

_Are we alive?_

Yes.

-

The next few weeks were spent planning and plotting.

Well, at first Kakashi had spent the days in a numb state.

One couldn't blame him. He had just come back from the dead, from the middle of one of the most devastating war ever (or maybe that was just his opinion). And instead of joining his dead family in the afterlife, fate decided to screw him over and make him time travel.

(Or so he assumed. Who knows, maybe he was in a Tsukuyomi or something and this is all fake.)

(Maybe it's selfish, but for now, he's going to pretend it's real.)

(It is real.)

Kami, just the idea of it was enough to make his head spin. Not to mention the possibly destroy-the-whole-universe-worthy repercussions. Not to mention that he should be dead.

Kakashi still couldn't get over that. He had almost accepted his fate (as much as one could accept their fate while flying through a forest at neck breaking speeds). He was ready to die, almost ecstatic about it, though that was dampened by worry of those he would have left behind.

Kakashi must've scared his father with how quiet a child he was. He couldn't help it - he had a lot to think about. Added onto how his father was alive...well, who could blame him if he wanted to keep him for as long as possible?

Sakumo must've already been worried enough. From what Kakashi gleaned from conversations in and out of the household, Kakashi's flare of chakra hadn't gone unnoticed, and for him to have been just born was all the more frightening, especially with his son's definitely unchildlike behavior.

As a result, Kakashi was extremely clingy to his father, and in turn, Sakumo was extremely protective of his son.

Kakashi didn't mind - much. He was really eager to get up to date on training but was too young to actually get anywhere with it.

Hell, he could barely stand up, and embarrassingly enough, had to be carried everywhere. All he could say was 'gurgle' and 'blah'. Added on to that, he still couldn't see right, despite his eyes having opened properly a while ago. Everything was still blurry, though much clearer than before.

The next few weeks were also spent learning how to take control of his body, especially his motor reflexes(he was too used to moving as an adult jounin).

(Oh, the horror of diapers, burping, _bed-wetting_...what would they say if they saw the great Copy-nin like this? Not even mentioning teething..it was almost equivalent to some of the methods in T  & I.)

Kakashi also spent the time planning out everything he was going to do. He wasn't a genius for nothing, it was remarkably easy to compartmentalize his new brain and old memories, putting away the worst and bringing up the most useful. He crafted a tentative plan in his head, knowing that he couldn't change too much because it will debilitate his future knowledge.

He was tempted to just say 'screw it' and do whatever it takes to save everyone he loves, but his rational side won out. As much as it tortured him to admit, he knows that doing so could make them all end up with a worse future than before.

Kakashi also decided that he would graduate at the same age as he did before, which meant moderating himself. He had at first considered graduating earlier, but that meant more unneeded attention. Since last time Danzo only bothered him when he was much older, Kakashi should be fine. And if Kakashi were to wait for later...well, Kakashi selfishly wanted to see Minato-sensei as soon as possible.

Because of his lack of motor skills, Kakashi's speech was botched, and he hated the sound of it. As a result, he refused to speak (uh, make baby noises) in public, and only occasionally in private. Sakumo, in a near amusing fit of worry, had once brought him to the hospital to make sure that he wasn't mute. The medic-nin had declared him as just an unusually silent child. So when he finally did speak proper words, it came out as a surprise.

He was all of two years old and had been planning the moment for weeks.

They were at the dinner table, Sakumo quietly chatting about mundane things about his day that Kakashi was never required to respond to. Inserted in between were subtle stories of chakra and his missions (Though it was nothing too gruesome, it still made him frown that Sakumo was gearing him up to be a good little shinobi so early on).

Kakashi had waited for a lull in the conversation, having planned this moment a while earlier. His first word was "Father", and it led to his first sentence "Father, pass the salt."

(In public at least; his real first word had been "Damn", and was in private (a fact he was grateful for, because how would Sakumo have reacted?))

Sakumo froze, and just stared at Kakashi, who stared back with the same half-lidded expression he used when he was older.

"Pass the salt," Kakashi repeated.

Sakumo dropped his fork and latched onto his son, twirling him around in the air like a top, exclaiming and ignoring the younger's struggles.

Kakashi's next words were "Father, you're choking me!"

-

_He was going to save him this time, the boy thought fiercely. Him, and sensei, and teammates and colleagues and kohais and genins and everything he loved (and cursed- they should change the name to Everyone-Who-Even-Talked-To-Him-Killer Kakashi but that doesn't matter)- he will save them all._

_None of them would die as another mark under a list of tragic deaths. None._

-

A month after, and Kakashi was running around the house. His first birthday passed quickly.

A month after that, and Kakashi was finally potty trained.

And then, right before his second birthday, he was brought to the hospital.

Kakashi's sight had been deteriorating, a fact that Kakashi had barely noticed (he put it off as normal baby side effects - he didn't know anything about kids). Until he walked straight into a wall. Numerous times.

After sitting his son down and hearing about his son's worsening vision, Sakumo took the young boy straight to the medic nins.

Kakashi felt odd in the place, as the last time he had been there was at his birth, which wasn't a pleasant experience. Throughout the whole checkup, he had to fight the urge to flee.

After everything was done, they all went off to the side and muttered, shooting glances at the young Hatake boy. It worried Kakashi because he didn't remember anything like this in the Old Timeline, as Kakashi had dubbed it after several confusing paradoxical circles.

A nurse came over to where the pair were sitting with a nervous, yet reassuring smile.

"Um, Hatake-san," she started, wringing her hands. "We have the results."

Sakumo sat up straighter, Kakashi mimicking him. "Yes?" he asked nervously.

"Well, we found that there has been what is most likely a birth defect." The first dregs of dread appeared in Kakashi's stomach. "Kakashi-kun had too much chakra in his eyes." A bad taste filled his mouth. "While this would be fine on a Uchiha or a civilian since he is neither and has already started training...well...as a result, his vision will steadily worsen, until he...uh, won't be able to see at all." His heart dropped.

_Oh._

_Won't be able to see at all._

"What?"

"Hatake-san, your son soon will be blind."

_Won't be able to_

_see_

He ran out of the room, followed by Sakumo's yell of "Kashi!"

_Run, run, run, maybe then it'll go away_

_Can't see can't see, watch the branch_

_won't see won't ever see **them**_

_again_

_Run, run, run-_

"Kakashi!" A harried Sakumo finally found his son curled up in the corner of a training ground (though how he knew how to get here, Sakumo didn't know). "Kashi..."

The time traveler furiously wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, unsure as to why he was reacting so emotionally.

Maybe because he may never be able to see the world again, never see all the smiling faces of his loved ones. Maybe because he may not be able to become a ninja.

_Maybe because everyone will die again and it's all his fault because he is **blind-**_

"Hey." Sakumo gently lifted the hands from Kakashi's face. "Look at me."

"Why? It's not like I'll ever be able to see you again." The bitter remark was out before he could take it back. it hung in the air silently, oppressively.

"Kakashi." Sakumo's voice was near a growl. "Don't you dare give up like this."

Kakashi just stared at the ground.

"There are other ways to see."

The words made him spin around to stare at his father.

"With chakra," The White Fang continued, growing more and more nervous, despite his firmness earlier. "You can sense chakra signatures. With enough practice, you can essentially see without the use of your eyes. I have a friend who can help. He knows how to deal with bli- people like you." he flinched away from saying the b word, but plowed on, knowing that he was starting to ramble. "You'll be able to see, just differently. And much more efficiently, too, along with-"

A small body plowed into his, catching Sakumo in the chest and making a small grunt sound out.

"Let's go home," A small voice whispered, and Sakumo felt himself melt. It was a start.

-

"Kakashi? You should get to sleep."

The boy, nose buried in a thick book, just waved him off. "I will eventually."

Kakashi ignored the look his father sent him. Ever since getting 'the news', Kakashi has been spending every waking moment researching.

Sakumo passed it off as him trying to fix it, sending him pitying looks whenever he found his son with a book on chakra theory on hand. The only reason he didn't stop it, Kakashi supposed, was because it helped him become a better shinobi.

"Kakashi," Sakumo said sternly.

Kakashi glanced up at him, contemplating the pros and cons or whining at his father. Eventually he sighed and closed his book obediently.

"Fine." Sakumo said nothing about the boy's less than respectful tone, to happy that he got Kakashi to go to sleep.

Kakashi headed off to his room, mind reviewing all he had learned so far.

Kakashi had accepted- well, at least known- that he was definitely going to be blind a few chapters into the first book he read. What he was looking for was **why**.

What made this birth so different that he was actually blind when in his previous life he was perfectly fine?

Was it an alternate universe? It's true, that would be the only way this is all happening without some sort of paradox coming and swallowing them all whole.

Did Obi- Tobi actually succeed in his Moon Eye plan and had made Kakashi blind to keep him from becoming a shinobi and ruining his life? Then why hadn't he had just killed him?

Or was it an aftereffect of him being reborn? Perhaps he retained his chakra system from before, just resized to that of a baby, and his chakra system still pooled chakra into his eye for the Sharingan. Due to him having literally nonexistent chakra in birth, he was fine at first. Then as he grew and more chakra coursed through his systems, his eyes became worse with the extra chakra, eventually resulting in blindness.

The last theory was the one he was most inclined to believe in, though the first was a close second. The Tobi one...well, hadn't they already stopped him a while ago?

Aside from speculation, Kakashi attempted to adjust to his deteriorating sight. He had started to memorize where everything was in the house, touching everything and anything to familiarize himself with the settings.

He had just gotten used to the layout, and was reassuring himself that maybe he could do this when he slammed into a chair.

"Wha-?" He fell back onto the floor, hard. For a few seconds he just stared ahead, not blinking.

His father had just left for a mission. Before he left, he had shoved his chair unthinkingly out from under the table in his hurry to grab some last minute supplies.

Kakashi thought about the unknown object in front of him and his efforts to remember his environment.

Much to his immense embarrassment, he burst into tears.

Damn his emotional young body.

Despite his attempts, he couldn't calm himself. For some reason, that careless mistake had ripped a hole in his view of the world, making it unknown and dangerous. The steady map in his head he had been building had collapsed.

So he cried.

He really hoped he could learn that chakra sense soon. For now he'll return to books.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um. Here.  
> Next one may come in a month. Or year. Or maybe a week if I feel good.
> 
> I just spent half an hour doing formatting there's got to be a better way to format without typing up all the code how do you do it


	3. These memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They hurt.

Sakumo was somewhat worried that his son was spending all his time holed up in his room or in the library. His wife would kill her if her little boy grew up to be an antisocial bastard.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

For his third birthday, Sakumo, in all his ever-ending wisdom, decided to throw his son a birthday party. He apparently invited almost everyone in the damn village, plus a few from some neighboring countries, with how full the compound was.

It was actually just a giant excuse for all the adults to get together and gossip, and to get their kids to socialize.

Kakashi avoided everyone after the polite conversations were out of the way, staying holed up in a room reading his books. Kids were so _loud_.

Eventually, after everyone went home, Sakumo dragged him out to meet one of his friends.

All Kakashi had to do was take one look at the white hair and red marks adorning him, before promptly burrowing under a table.

Sakumo was completely baffled at the behavior. He bent down to get a better look at the strands of silver hair peeking out from under the table, and called out "Kakashi, are you alright?"

Jiraiya just stood off to the side with a bemused expression on his face.

"I'm fine, tou-san," his voice responded. "Just looking for something." In fact, Kakashi was trying to keep control of his emotions. It was way too easy to break down and cry when one was a child.

"Okay..." Sakumo said, unsure. He turned to his lifelong friend. "Sorry, I don't know what's gotten into him."

"I'm fine!" a scowling face popped out. "I just don't want to meet the old man." he stuck out his tongue at the surprised Jiraiya, before retreating back to his hideout.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? I always knew Hatakes age young with the hair color they have." Jiraiya scowled and crossing his arms, completely unrepentant that he was arguing with a three-year-old.

"You're insulting Father, as well, with that," a muffled voice replied snarkily.

"Alright, you two!" Sakumo quickly intervened. "Honestly, it's like dealing with children."

"Referring to me as both old and young all in a few minutes. And, Father, I am a child."

"Brat, you should learn to respect your superiors-"

"I do. I respect Father."

"I meant me!"

"I'll never respect someone who writes porn for a living."

"Kakashi!"

"Hey, brat, how the hell do you know about that?"

"Jiraiya, language!"

"Yeah, _ero-sennin_. Watch your mouth!"

"..."

"..."

"You've corrupted my son!"

"This is the first time I have even seen him!"

Kakashi looked on as Sakumo and Jiraiya continued their argument, long since having climbed out from under the table. They had completely forgotten about him, now debating toads over dogs (an age old disagreement that Kakashi has heard numerous times, and occasionally, even participated in when in his old time). He quietly left the room, heading for outside. Maybe he could get some training done while they fought...

-

Sakumo sighed as he watched Kakashi train, throwing kunai (blunt, of course, he wasn't that bad of a father) at a target.

His little boy was growing up, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"He's getting better," The Toad Sage commented from next to him, also peering at Kakashi.

"Mhm," Sakumo grunted, still staring at his son.

He's very mature for his age."

"Mhm." Sakumo seemed to grow more despondent.

"...I'm leaving tomorrow." Jiraiya abruptly changed the subject, watching his friend's reaction. Sakumo didn't even blink at the non sequitur.

The White Fang finally turned to him. "I know."

"It's just for a bit, I'll come back in about two months," Jiraiya continued, noting that Sakumo didn't react. "I'll stay for a month, maybe more, and then I'm leaving for a few years."

"Why are you leaving for so short a time?"

"Eh, you know, business." Jiraiya waved it off but shot a lecherous grin at the man next to him that convinced Sakumo to not ask for more details. "Don't get into too much trouble."

"I could tell you the same."

They sat in silence, only stirring when Kakashi came back in.

-

"Kakashi, this is Yui Mashiba, my teammate. Yui, this is my son Kakashi." Sakumo gestured at a black haired man with dark skin crisscrossed with scars.

"Hello, Mashiba-san." Kakashi bowed, confused. He doesn't remember meeting this person last time. _Just shows you shouldn't rely entirely on your future knowledge_ , he scolded himself.

"Just call me Yui, Kakashi-kun." Yui smiled. "Using my last name makes me feel old."

"Okay, Yui-san." Kakashi smiled tentatively back.

"Kakashi, Yui is going to teach you how to sense objects with your chakra," Sakumo explained. "He has some experience with people who, uh, lost their sight," he avoided the b-word, something that didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi. "So he'll be able to train you, added onto the training you're already going to get from me to improve your hearing and sense of smell."

"I see." Kakashi nodded, smiling more genuinely at Yui. "Thank you, Yui-sensei."

"Don't thank me yet, Kashi-chan." Yui smiled cheekily as the young boy twitched. "I've never trained someone so young, so I apologize if I'm a little harsh. That being said, I won't go easy on you. Don't worry, soon you'll be able to see just as well as anyone."

Kakashi's earlier irritation was dismissed as he smiled brighter, feeling inexplicably joyful at actually being able to see. He had already lost all sight in one eye and was rarely brought out of the compound.

Though, when he said training would be rough...how hard could it be?

-

Kakashi scowled, sweating and panting, as he was hit once again by an old shoe. Where his mentor was even getting these things, Kakashi didn't want to know.

They had started training the day after they met, and the time traveler was entirely certain that one of his old ANBU captains had traveled back with him and became Yui. Either that or the black haired man had a sadistic streak a mile wide.

They had started training off with an admittedly boring yet useful lecture on chakra sensing, containing more details than what Kakashi ever learned in the future, but also repeating stuff that he had learned in the Academy.

The most important lesson Kakashi learned was that everything had natural chakra, since everything was derived from the natural elements. Even 'man-made' objects had materials that came from something, whether it be metal, wood, etc. The more processed something was, the less natural chakra it had and the harder it was to sense.

Once that was down, and Yui had quizzed Kakashi on every bit of information, they got to actually spreading out one's chakra.

It was similar from what Kakashi would do to sense chakra signatures, just more complicated and requiring more chakra control. Usually, one would just look for the chakra that made a living being. For objects, it was like tuning into a different frequency; he just had to differentiate chakra signatures with differing amounts of spiritual and physical energy, as well as recognizing the variations and being able to classify it as a certain thing or person. Easy.

The first time Kakashi managed to spread out a strong and controlled enough chakra flare to sense more than Yui sitting in front of him, the rush dizzied him. All the chakra he sensed blurred together and gave him a pounding headache. Once he withdrew his senses he threw up.

When using his chakra sense, Kakashi could see different shades of blue chakra everywhere, swirling in and out of everything. It was incredibly disorienting; even the air had chakra, and to not be able to see next to anything to suddenly seeing a bright blue coloring everything, stifling him and taking his breath away, making him feel as if he was drowning...

Yui laughed at the evil look the young Hatake heir gave him after he came back from changing his clothes.

"I guess I forgot to say we'd need a sick bucket," Yui said gleefully. Somehow this too-mature-for-his-age boy's reaction was much more hilarious than any of his other students. "Sorry Kashi-chan. Why don't you go get one? The nauseous feeling only stops after the hundredth or so time...maybe."

Kakashi's expression dropped a few degrees, and Yui had to ward off the slightest shiver.

Weeks later, he was finally able to hold his lunch in his stomach after retreating his senses, and Yui jumped right into the next part of training.

Kakashi nearly wished that he still got sick afterward, because it would've been less painful than this. This being Yui throwing anything he could grab from his Hammerspace to throw at Kakashi, expecting him to sense it and dodge.

Maybe Kakashi was sick. He kept making mental references to things he's never heard of before. Probably Yui's influence.

So here Kakashi was, getting pelted by bits and odds as he ran for his life. He had managed to sense a brick and duck under it, his panic at getting another brick to the stomach overriding his dwindling determination. Better than the first few times he sensed something, being so shocked it was actually possible for him to sense that he froze and got hit anyway.

By now his sight was almost completely gone, and he had started to memorize the route around his house. He also had to resort to touching people's faces in order to see what they looked like (and wasn't that awkward), though his improved sense of smell and hearing were very helpful.

Once he was able to dodge things (sort of)and catch things (even less sort of) and nine times out of ten did not run into walls, Yui proceeded onto identifying the object/person and its characteristics.

This exercise was just as harsh as the last one, with Kakashi having to shout out the name of the object before dodging, or else he would be poked with a chakra enforced stick (when did Yui get the time to make these things?).

At first, Kakashi guessed based on shape and size of chakra, resulting in hits and misses. When Yui noticed him doing it, the man took him aside.

The jounin explained how to actually look at the chakra, observe it, and memorize the distinct differences that make a leaf a leaf and a brick a brick. Once Kakashi realized how that worked, he came home with considerably fewer bruises.

"How do you even know this stuff, sensei?" Kakashi once asked curiously. "You can see fine."

"After a fight, I was rendered temporarily blind. Temporarily meaning a year or so," Yui explained. "I learned it from another sensei (but one that was definitely as awesome as me) and since even after I sometimes relapsed, I kept it up. Now, no more questions, they're annoying. Go back to throwing kunai and failing horribly."

Sakumo also had started teaching him chakra control exercises. He shifted the focus of his sessions from building strength and endurance to situational awareness and the best ways to incapacitate someone since he was already extremely athletic for his age.

Kakashi's adult mind was glad for the excessive amount of training; it was hard to find proper simulation while in the body of essentially, a baby. It was bad enough that despite his training he still slipped up and occasionally dropped whatever was in his hands. At least he still had his brains, even he did have to constantly dumb himself down.

Apparently, he wasn't doing too good of a job, because soon after the introduction of his chakra training, he overheard an incriminating argument between Yui and Sakumo.

"It's obvious he's a prodigy," Yui was saying heatedly. "No normal three-year-old would be able to understand even a percent of what we've been training him to do, much less actually accomplish it. He does both and the best way to cultivate that is to send him to the Academy."

Kakashi froze from where he was at the top of the staircase. He ducked out of sight and listened carefully. He couldn't see it, but he imagined Yui waving his hands around like he does during especially passionate lectures. Yui had the weird quirk of staying so still that Kakashi sometimes wondered if he was a statue, but if you get him to talk (which was definitely not hard), he'll be pacing, gesturing, practically bouncing as he chatters about this or that.

"It's too early," Sakumo responded firmly. "Kakashi should be able to enjoy his childhood, not be thrust into a war."

"We're not at war."

"Who are you trying to fool?" Sakumo sighed, sounding wearier than Kakashi had ever heard him. "No matter what any of the heads say, we are at war, and sooner or later they are going to declare it officially."

"All the more urgent that you send him!" Yui near growled. "Konoha needs his genius-"

"They'll destroy him!"

Realizing he was going in the wrong direction, Yui switched tracks. "He needs to be able to protect himself. You are oppressing him, keeping him from reaching his full potential. As a ninja, he'll have the protection of his sensei and his teammates, even more so due to his young age. That's more than you ever could while out on the field."

Kakashi flinched slightly at the harsh words, but Sakumo just sighed warily.

"...You're right. I'll send him next term, once he's turned four."

"I'm always right. And good."

So here Kakashi was, dragging his feet as he walked to the Academy.

Vaguely, he remembered the horror of it from last time. Since he was so young, there had to be some cliche bullies, a problem that only worsened with how well Kakashi did. It actually got slightly better as he moved up since they babied him more than anything (still, so infuriating). Then it all went to hell again in his final months as he was moved to the graduating class and was mocked and envied.

Right foot, leeeft foot, riight foot- oh wait, that foot was a bit too fast, let's go back and try again.

'Hurry up, brat!" called Yui, meters ahead and tapping his foot impatiently.

Kakashi deliberately went even slower, and Yui scowled, before dashing back and grabbing him by the arms.

'I can't believe I let your father talk me into this," Yui muttered darkly as he dragged Kakashi alongside him, despite the boy's protests. "'Oh, sorry, the Hokage requested me for a quick mission,'" he mimicked in a high-pitched voice. "'So if you could take Kakashi to school on his first day it would be great, thanks. Bye, now!' The damn bastard...I bet he knew you would act like this!"

"Watch out for the rock," Kakashi called out dryly, listening to Yui's complaints with amusement.

Without skipping a beat, Yui neatly jumped over the rock, pulling his charge over with him. "Why the hell is there such a huge rock here in the first place, huh?" he shot a glare over his shoulder at said rock. "I bet it could kill someone…"

"What?"

"Nothing, you need to worry about, Kashi-chan," His tone suddenly changed from irritated to sickly sweet. "Now why don't you hush up and go to sleep for your morning nap? That way you'll be well rested for the day."

Kakashi didn't even deign to respond because he knew it would only spur Yui on. Instead, he satisfied himself with squeezing tight onto the hand that was dragging him, digging his nails in. The only sign of discomfort Kakashi saw was a tightening of the face, yet Kakashi smirked triumphantly. Usually, he couldn't get a reaction at all.

They did eventually reach the Academy, only a few minutes late. Apparently, few minutes was enough to get the receptionist to glare at them before directing the pair to the place where the Sandaime gave his yearly look-you-are-all-going-to-become-ninja-so-you-better-act-properly-and-stay-loyal-to-Konoha-and-this-a-honor-and-good-luck speech.

Kakashi zoned out for most of it, only stirring from his staring competition with a squirrel when Yui's hand gripped his shoulder.

"Okay," Yui began in a voice that seemed like he was attempting to sound mature. "It's fine to be nervous-"

"I'm not nervous." Kakashi cut in. And he wasn't. He had already done this before, after all.

"Yeah, yeah," Yui dismissed, before continuing. "This is your first step to being a ninja, a shinobi of the Village of Leaf-"

"I already know that." Kakashi deadpanned.

"-and it's an honorable duty you must take seriously-"

"I just heard this from the Hokage."

"-will be a difficult path, but I'm sure you'll do-"

Kakashi sighed, giving it up as a lost cause. He stood up and let himself be swept in by the wave of Academy students.

"And- wait, Kashi-chan?" The man looked around at the empty courtyard. "Man, your father is going to kill me!"

-

The first day of school was rather boring.

The other kids were mainly concerned with themselves, and barely bothered Kakashi past looking at him strangely. The teachers were either wary, skeptical, or worst of all, caught up in the notion that he had a horrible father that forced him into ninja life early. All it took was a glare to shut them up.

Kakashi wasn't sure how many of the teachers knew he was blind. The students were oblivious and hopefully would stay that way.

Kakashi did receive Braille texts, which he had started to learn how to read a few days after the revelation of his lack of sight. He was also learning how to read normal kanji with Yui since ink had a different chakra signature then paper. It was extremely hard, though, and Yui said he expected that Kakashi wouldn't get it for a few more years. Right now he was working towards reading large characters.

The kid sitting next to him would sometimes peer over at his paper, obviously trying to cheat. He went back to his own paper confused and indignant, with a chalk mark on his hair.

Other than the few discrepancies due to his blindness and noticing more and more indoctrination techniques then he had thought to be there, the Academy was banal at best. He didn't purposely limit himself past going slower than usual since he had breezed through Academy last time. And he couldn't even go to school late unless he wanted to be tortured by Yui...

Sakumo smiled at him with each passing grade but also sent more worried glances when he thought his son wasn't looking. Kakashi didn't know what to think of those.

The weeks seemed to blur together, the only things sticking out being training with Yui and Sakumo. His father also started to take missions again, apparently having been on parental leave before. At first, they had only been simple escort missions inside of Konoha, leaving Kakashi alone for a day or two before Sakumo and Yui (who was his teammate) came back.

When the missions finally progressed to weeks at a time, Kakashi was understandably reluctant to let them, especially Sakumo go.

"Why do you have to go?" Kakashi frowned at his father, who looked completely out of his element at this new side to his previously independent son.

"I have a mission assigned to me by the Hokage," Sakumo explained wearily for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. "They are my orders."

"What about me?" Kakashi persisted.

Yui, who was decked out in shinobi gear and waiting at the door, interjected, seemingly fed up. "Damn Kashi, shut up. You'll do fine on your own, mister I-can-go-to-the-market-by-myself." Sakumo didn't bother to scold Yui on his language.

"I only do that because you can't cook for anything," Kakashi pointed out dryly. "I'd rather not be left with burnt rice every time Father has to go on a short-" he looked pointedly at his father. "-mission."

"You'll be fine," Sakumo tried to reassure, though Kakashi's words were making pricks of doubt in his mind. _Oh, Kami, what if this was really a bad idea? Anything could happen to a defenseless kid like Kakashi, and-_ He noticed his son's smug look and tried to staple his confidence. "Anyway, I'm I asked a friend to check up on you every so often, since Yui can't."

"...I don't want you to get hurt." Kakashi's voice was small, and Yui had to bite his tongue to keep himself from saying something scathing and inevitably earning Sakumo's wrath.

"Don't worry, Kashi," Sakumo knelt down to his son's level. "I'll be fine, and when Yui and I come back, we can all go out and eat ramen, okay?"

Kakashi nodded reluctantly, and Sakumo barely resisted a sigh of relief. He smiled instead, and they parted with no more ceremony.

-

Kakashi met his caretaker (he refused to think babysitter) a few days after Sakumo and Yui had left. Those few days Kakashi spent alternatively reading, training, _really_ training, and planning for the future-past-future-past (also attempting to figure out the paradox of his future-past-future-past itself). The planning didn't get very far, as every few steps he would be struck by how much he, oddly enough, missed his old world.

He missed seeing his students' smiles (Sasuke didn't count). He missed his Icha Icha. He missed drunken nights with friends formed through years and years of playing card games and gambling each other's money and screwing the other over in missions. He missed Konoha as he knew it, strengthened through many more years of war and strife and brought together by one Jinchuuriki.

It wasn't the same being here, and he guiltily found himself reaching for books on dimensions rather than history. Usually, doing that meant he was foggy headed enough to take a break, and he would either train or plot for ways to get a certain orange book.

He had gone out to eat, ignoring any strange looks he got and turning killing intent on the condescending lady at the stand (Oh, the woes of being a kid). Immediately after entering the Hatake compound, he sensed an unknown signature at the door.

Instantaneously he suppressed his chakra to a minute degree. Cautiously, he crept forward, sticking to the shadows. Sakumo wasn't supposed to be back for another week and a half.

A few feet behind the person, he accidentally stepped on a branch. Stupid blindness making him into an amateur. He cursed himself again as the person turned around, then had to stifle a gasp.

"Who's there?" The white-haired man with red stripes down his face suddenly smirked. "You can come out, Kakashi-kun."

Kakashi reluctantly stepped out, hiding his trembling hands behind his back. "Hello, Jiraiya-sama," He greeted cautiously.

"Hm...you recognize me, kid?" He walked forward and looked down at the boy. "You are Sakumo's brat, right? I could've sworn you'd be taller..."

Kakashi didn't react, instead choosing to open the door and walk in, not bothering to check if the Sannin was following. Putting his groceries into the kitchen, he called out "Tea?"

"I'm fine," Jiraiya watched with an unfathomable expression as Kakashi busied himself with putting the perishables in the fridge. Once finished, he came back to the sitting room and plopped down on the couch.

"How long and how often will you be coming?" The boy cut right to the chase.

"Every few days," Jiraiya eyed him. "You'll be fine, right?" Kakashi nodded. "I'll keep coming until his mission ends, maybe a few weeks or so..."

"You're actually staying for that long?" Kakashi asked. At the Toad Sage's questioning look, he added, "Father complains."

"Damn brat," Jiraiya grumbled.

"Language. Just how old are you anyways?" Kakashi returned, not missing a beat as he got up and attempted to reach the top shelf of the nearby dresser for a book.

"Oh, not that again!" Jiraiya groaned coming up behind him and grabbing the book by reaching over the boy's head. At Kakashi's questioning look, he explained. "You did the same when you were younger. Probably don't remember. And what kind of book is this?" He asked incredulously, flipping open the cover of _Chakra Natures for Shinobi_ , a book Kakashi had gotten from the library a few days ago.

"The book kind," Kakashi said flatly, grabbing the book from Jiraiya's hands. "What do you mean I did the same?"

"When you were three or somethin'," Jiraiya elaborated. "Really stiff brat, and decided making fun of my beautiful hair was necessary."

Kakashi refrained from answering that the man had done the same to him despite his age, and instead said, "That's because you're old."

Ignoring the splutters behind him, Kakashi put the book on the nearby table, intending to read it later (he's pretty sure he already know everything in the pages, but it wouldn't hurt to check, and at least it built up an alibi of him being studious).

He turned back to Jiraiya, then hesitated. "Can I..." He swallowed, feeling uncomfortable. "Can I touch your face?"

Jiraiya frowned, opening his mouth before abruptly closing it. His signature seemed to soften, and Kakashi almost felt like squirming. Kami, this was awkward.

"Sure, kid," He nodded. "Just don't poke out my eye."

"As long as you guide my hands, it shouldn't happen," Kakashi reassured. He reached out with his hand, and larger weathered ones enveloped them, gently pushing them to Jiraiya's face.

Once done, Kakashi sat back with satisfaction. While he had a general idea of the Toad Sage's chakra signature due to training with Yui, it was always good to have an idea of what the person looked like for reference. And, though Kakashi would never admit, it offered a sort of closure after hearing about the man's death in his old timeline.

"Is it noticeable?" Kakashi asked, unable to keep the curiosity out of his voice. He couldn't ask Sakumo this question, as the man would most definitely deny it no matter what, and Yui always answered with a blunt remark about his clumsiness.

"Your, ah, blindness?" Jiraiya shifted. "Not really...you've got a sort of blurry red tint to your eyes, but it's barely noticeable since they're dark. And you're not running into walls or anything, so overall..."

Kakashi nodded his thanks.

"Don't worry, it still looks nice for the girls." Jiraiya winked.

The Hatake stared at him blankly. "I'm three." He pointed out.

Jiraiya shuddered. "And you act much older kid, much older." He shrugged, then leered. "Besides, no one's too young."

Kakashi snorted and missed the sharpening of the man's eyes. "Ero-sennin."

"Oi!"

-

In between the Jiraiya's visits, Kakashi worked on his chakra control and sensing. He soon was able to tell the most basic features of a person (mainly their body shape and sometimes skin color, but that was mainly through inference). He also worked to increase his chakra control, finding that he could barely do anything more than a Replacement jutsu without getting tired.

If Jiraiya ever was suspicious of his depleted reserves, he didn't say anything.

He went to school more out of obligation and the chance to catch up on sleep than anything else. He had already skipped a year, baffling teachers with how someone who slept through their classes scored perfectly on tests and starting rumors of a new Hatake prodigy.

The next two weeks went by quickly. Kakashi probably would've been able to enjoy them more if a chuunin hadn't dropped by to let him know that Sakumo was going to be running late. By a week.

Instead of getting the distressed child the chuunin probably expected, the door was slammed in his face.

Jiraiya came by later to tell the news if not already heard and, apparently, annoy the boy. He left with newly dyed purple hair and a grumpy expression.

When Kakashi was in a bad mood, he pranked (he also blamed Naruto).

The day that Sakumo was previously expected to return passed without incident despite Kakashi spending his time hanging around the compound in a half-hopeful state (he figured he could be clingy considering his situation). Jiraiya hadn't come that day, so Kakashi didn't bother to eat much. He'd eat when his father came home safe and sound.

Sakumo didn't come and Kakashi woke up the next day with a growling stomach and a sore neck from leaning on the window sill.

The weekend after came with an interesting discovery.

Kakashi had finished all his training early because of trying out a new chakra exercise and emptying out his reserves. He didn't feel up to reading more about time traveling and alternate dimensions (mainly because he was aching too much to walk all the way to the Shinobi Library from here).

Deciding to meditate for a while, Kakashi sat with his back against the couch and closed his eyes, trying to slip into a tranquil state. Unfortunately, being reverted back to a child apparently brought some kind of hyperactivity to Kakashi, and he couldn't sit still. Either he would start to itch, or the way his legs were folded felt uncomfortable, or he felt the sudden urge to drum his fingers - whatever the case, it irritated him to the point of shifting, utterly breaking his concentration.

When the third twitchy arm kept him from meditating, a surge of anger hit Kakashi. He jumped up, kicking the couch and cursing darkly when he nearly jammed his toe. Meditation was his getaway whenever he couldn't read Icha Icha and was on a mission. Why couldn't he do it now?

Glaring at the offending couch and his toe for throbbing Kakashi started pacing. He winced as his toe twinged. He'd take a twisted ankle any day- _and why is this bothering him so much?_

Sneering at his foot and stomping it for good measure, Kakashi proceeded to punch the nearby wall, nearly cracking it when he unintentionally pushed chakra into his fist.

_Stupid meditation and stupid couch and stupid toe and stupid mission and stupid father for leaving and stupid eyes and stupid feet tripping and stupid stupid stupid-_

Kakashi froze, anger dying away surprisingly fast. The boy took a deep breath, calming himself, before glancing at the crack in the wall. He'd fix that later.

Heartbeat back to normal, Kakashi wandered over to the couch, plopping down with no qualms about his toe.

Was this puberty coming early? He was definitely not supposed to get this angry. In fact, wasn't he known as the calm, laid-back Kakashi who barely reacted to anything? A side effect of being reincarnated/time traveling/whatever had happened to him? Or...was someone influencing him? With that thought, Kakashi spread out his chakra sense. Immediately pushing aside the feedback from the countless other chakra saturated objects, Kakashi didn't find anyone nearby.

Deciding to put the matter out of his mind for now, Kakashi slid down to the floor. He closed his eyes, resolving to try at least one more time.

Soon he was able to feel the pool of chakra in his body and reached out to it in order to sink into the depths of his mind.

Suddenly, a strange burning sensation enveloped him. Usually, this would cause him to break his concentration and check it out, but this feeling seemed to come from inside him. It was like chakra exhaustion but was less...exhausting.

Curious and not just a little wary Kakashi poked and prodded at the feeling, trying to figure where it's coming from. Frowning subconsciously, Kakashi cautiously reached out his senses to that place in his chakra coils, somewhere near his sternum.

The instant he touched it, a swirl appeared in mind's view, and Kakashi felt all the molecules in his body be pulled at from an unknown source, creating the sensation of being sucked into a vacuum.

Panicking, he tried to withdraw his senses only to find something blocking him. It felt like an invisible wall, yet it was all in his mind. And it was tinged with a familiar chakra...almost animalistic.

As if called by his thoughts, a ringing voice vibrated through the air. Kakashi clutched at his head, the loud volume being a hundred times worse in his head.

"Hatake Kakashi," The voice intoned. "Dimension-hopper."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh...this was pretty long (whopping 5500 words!) so...  
> Don't expect the next one until I've got Ch 4 done and edited. 3 is near ready, but 4 has about 100 words written.  
> I'm assuming there is some equivalent of Braille in the ninja world...so just imagine that it just happened to be also called Braille.  
> Thanks to everyone who reviewed and gave kudos; it really meant a lot! Love you! You guys literally give me buckets of strength to keep doing this.  
> (Also: anyone else see Black Panther?)


	4. The past is threads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A noose around my neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one gets a little graphic near the end, but in the next chapter is really where the warnings tagged come into play.

Immediately Kakashi whirled around, brandishing a kunai and getting into a defensive position. He ignored the way the weapon seemed to materialize in his hand and instead focused on locating the voice. _Crap, it's like a hangover after a night with my friends..._ Kakashi ignored the pang of pain that came with the thought.

"Calm down, human," It called, sounding irritated.

On a hunch, Kakashi ventured "Kyuubi?" He crossed his fingers discreetly, hoping there wasn't an evil many tailed fox in his mind because at that point he doubted even the Yamanaka could fix him.

"Yes," it growled. "I'll forgive your thoughts for now since you managed to prove you aren't completely incompetent."

Kakashi decided to ignore the implication that the fox was reading his mind _but isn't he in his mind, and why is this so confusing_ and instead tried to figure out exactly where it was. No way was he getting killed in his own mind.

It growled again, and a glowing manifestation of a nine-tailed fox appeared. "Humans," it grumbled as Kakashi gaped. "Always needing something to focus their eyes on. Though I suppose you wouldn't most of the time, boy?" Kakashi bit down on a wave of bitterness.

"Why are you here?" He asked instead.

The bjuu eyed him. "You are the teacher of the blonde brat son of your Yondaime, correct?"

"Y-Yes." The Hatake felt dizzy. If this Kyuubi was from the future...well, this changed everything. That didn't mean he could trust it, though.

"Good." The fox sat back on its haunches. "I am from further along the timeline from when you died-"

"I really did die?" Kakashi interrupted.

It glared. "Yes, but that's hardly the point. Now quiet, or I won't hesitate to kill you."

He had to restrain himself from asking if the bjuu could even touch Kakashi like this, knowing it wouldn't garner the best reaction.

"As I was saying," it's massive amber eyes seemed to burn through Kakashi. "I am from after your death. Madara was defeated, but right before the killing strike, he cast a jutsu-" Here the Kyuubi seemed to roll his eyes. "-that caused an infection to spread to all humans, starting with your weak village. The jinchuuriki were the last to go, being less susceptible due to me and my brethren. We stuck around as chakra imprints for a while afterward, just to see what would happen to your bug species. It was completely wiped out."

_Everyone is dead?_

Kakashi didn't know what to think. On one hand, he was in a new world where he could do whatever he wanted to save everyone. On the other, all the people he had known were gone. He would never meet them the way they were again. Gone.

He didn't feel anything about it. Just tired.

He shoved the thought to the back of his mind to think upon later, also storing away the hint of regret he had heard in the fox's tone.

"That doesn't answer why you are here," Kakashi said warily.

Kyuubi roared, a burst of anger that physically pushed Kakashi back.

"If I had my way," the fox growled menacingly. "I would've traveled to my own time and conquer in my own right." Kakashi felt a wave of horror at the thought. "The Sage of Six Paths called me to fix the newest bruise in the timeline."

Kakashi frowned, incredibly confused.

"You honestly thought you could be back in time with only a loss of eyes to show for it?" Kyuubi scoffed. "Humans."

"Repercussions?" Kakashi paled.

"Enough so that the Sage has noticed." Kyuubi smirked grimly. "It has been...overlooked that you are in the wrong 'timeline' as inaccurate a word that is, but for you to come here and not change anything exempts you from the Sage's protection."

"Protection?"

"You haven't been changing enough. You haven't done anything to validate your existence as anything more than a thought."

"But don't I exist in this timeline?" Kakashi frowned, trying to wrap his mind around the concept.

"'You' do," the fox said, surprisingly patient, "But your soul? Your memories, your personality, everything that comes from the future is merely an imprint right now. Which is why I'm here."

"To...make me less of an imprint?"

"Yes."

"But...isn't me being blind already different enough?"

"It's the only thing keeping you from being, for lack of a better term, devoured," the bjuu said bluntly, swishing one of its tails as if the thought irritated it. "Otherwise I would fix it in case it hinders your progress."

"You can fix my sight?" Kakashi straightened. If there was anything he missed, it was his ability to see.

A growl. "If you are willing to be erased, I would happily comply."

"I think I'm fine," Kakashi sat down on the floor, disappointed. He felt a headache coming on.

The fox's calculating eyes followed him to the white floor of the mindscape. "I am to stay with you." Its displeasure was evident in its voice.

Kakashi looked up at him cautiously. "And how will that happen?"

"You will either have to become a jinchuuriki-"

Kakashi jumped up. "What?" He demanded.

"Let me finish," the Kyuubi growled. "Or I can remain as a chakra imprint, visiting like now. If you choose the second option, I occasionally connect enough to speak to you without you having to recede into your mind."

Kakashi considered this. Looking at it, the choice was obvious.

"I'd rather if you stayed in my mindscape," He decided. "Suddenly becoming a jinchuuriki would attract too much attention." Plus he does not want to deal with all the questions, he added silently.

"Good." Suddenly the smile had too many teeth. "If you picked jinchuuriki, I may have...done something unpleasant, no matter the Sage's orders."

Kakashi shivered. Actually, he didn't want the bjuu in his mind at all, but...

"It will take some time for me to immerse myself into your mindscape-" Kakashi winced, that just sounded _wrong_ , "-so do not expect me for a few weeks," the fox warned.

"Now that is cleared..." The fox suddenly stiffened, face unreadable. "You should wake up now, kit."

Kakashi started as he was forced out of his mind, finding himself sprawled on the floor. Swallowing back a wave of nausea, he climbed to his feet. Feeling slightly angry that the fox could kick him out of his own mind, he made a beeline for the kitchen, intent on getting a good snack. All that information made him hungry.

_Wait, kit?_

He was distracted from that line of thought by knocks on the door. Frowning, he glanced up at a clock. Jiraiya wasn't supposed to come for the couple hours- oh. Looks like he had spent more time in his mindscape than he had thought. That could be a problem later on.

Kakashi changed course and opened the door to Jiraiya.

"Brat!" Was that relief in his expression? "You doing fine?"

"So you do care!" He snarked, opening the door wider to let the Sannin in.

"I care if Sakumo skins me alive," Jiraiya snorted, before mumbling, "Thought I felt an influx of chakra..."

Kakashi's heart skipped a beep, but he didn't let anything show in his expression. "Getting senile in your old age? All I was doing was meditating."

Jiraiya scowled but didn't push. Kakashi peered at him suspiciously. The Jiraiya he knew would prod and poke at his pressure points to get his information, no matter Kakashi's age. The older man did look distracted.

"Maybe I should check on you more often..." The man in question mused.

Kakashi grimaced. He definitely did not want that. "I'm fine!" He tried to reassure. "Do you seriously want to stay with me that much?"

Jiraiya still looked unsure but was eventually shooed away. As he watched the receding Sannin's back, Kakashi couldn't help but hope that nothing else would happen and he'd be able to fix the past in peace (because seriously, a nice and helpful _Kyuubi?_ )

-

Unfortunately, Kakashi was forced into another, as the Nara would say, _troublesome_ encounter only a few days after.

Kakashi had just finished another mind-numbingly boring day at the Academy and was walking home, contemplating the merits of just dropping out.

Not that he actually would, because how else would he be able to be involved and help? Not out of any lack of self-loathing, Kakashi knew that with the knowledge he had and the bjuu in his...mind...he had to be there for all the major events. And if that meant dealing with a bunch of sniveling brats who could barely tell the point from the handle of a kunai he would do it.

Actually, would the kyuubi stay in him forever? Would it eventually leave? Could it leave? How badly would this screw up things with Naruto? And what about Kushina? What would happen if he came in contact with her?

He was so lost in these thoughts (the type of which had been swirling in his mind since the meeting with the fox) that when Kakashi passed by the Uchiha compound he didn't notice the black and blue blur heading his way at full speed.

"Hey!" Kakashi scowled, rubbing his head from his position on the ground. His senses were now scrambled and he experienced dizzying nausea at the loss of his reference point, the ground. He scowled even deeper.

_Need to work on that_ , he thought, _Either don't ever get surprised or be able to recover. Remember to ask Yui._

"Sorry!" a young boy's voice cried. "I didn't mean…" A sniffle sounded. "I just...waah!"'

Kakashi scrambled to his feet in surprise. "Uh…" He quickly located where the boy was and stumbled towards him.

"It's fine!" He tried to reassure, awkwardly. "See I'm completely fine. Er, please, stop crying?"

The boy furiously wiped at his eyes. "I'm not crying! I just have...dust...in my eyes." Kakashi felt a wave of nostalgia.

"Sure." Kakashi rolled his eyes, before hastily remembering that this was a little kid. "What's your name?"

"Why d'you wanna know?" The boy's tone turned defensive.

"Curiosity," He offered, "I'm Kakashi Hatake."

There was a pause, in which the boy eyed Kakashi.

"Obito Uchiha," The boy finally said.

_Muffled yelling...rocks crashing downdowndown…"Give it back! Give me back my eye!"...redredredRED...screaming...blood-_

"O-Oi!" Are y'okay?" A chakra signature loomed uncomfortably close.

Kakashi steadied his breathing and sat up, noting that the boy...Obito...was still standing in front of him.

"I'm fine." he stood up, holding a hand to his head for a moment before straightening as if nothing happened.

"So, Uchiha, huh?" he smirked, trying to cover how unsettled he felt. _Why was he so unlucky?_ "Don't tell me you're a stuck up jerk like the rest of them."

Apparently it was the right thing to say, because in standard five year old fashion, Obito completely forgot about Kakashi's earlier behavior. Sniggering, he responded, "You think so too?" He laughed. "I like you!"

"Thanks," Kakashi responded, unnerved. This Obito was much more free and open. It was odd to not see the usual look of irritation or anger his older self had always had on his face when looking at Kakashi. Kakashi reveled in it. "So, um," Kakashi swallowed. A toddler wouldn't be suspicious, right? "Uh, friends?" He groaned mentally. How articulate.

Suddenly the Uchiha's eyes began to water. "No one's ever wanted to be my friend b'fore!" he wailed.

Kakashi sighed. If this was how much Obito cried even now, then he was going to have his work cut out for him.

"Can I touch your face?"

The question was always met with a variety of reactions, ranging from straight out confusion to suspicion.

It was part of the reason Kakashi didn't like asking it. Most people didn't notice he was blind, a fact he was proud of. When faced with that question, they usually were somewhat disbelieving, and once convinced, treated him entirely different. That was why Kakashi had held off on asking the question until a few days after he had met Obito. He just needed to know what his friend looked like, as the last time he saw him was when he was half crushed under rocks.

Obito's was different. His response was simple and honest, "Sure!"

Only after Kakashi groaned at _his new friend's_ (he was never going to get over that) naivete did Obito ask, "Uh, why?"

Kakashi debated how to tell him. Patiently he explained "I'm blind."

Maybe a bit too blunt for a five-year-old, but it was the quickest and easiest way.

"Uh...whaddya mean?"

Kakashi could have smacked him. As it was, he growled in annoyance, causing Obito to lean forward excitedly.

"Wow, you sound like a dog!" He giggled.

Ignoring that statement, Kakashi tried to explain it in simpler terms. He couldn't really think of much that was simpler that 'blind'.

"I mean, I can't see." Kakashi tried. "Everything's just black."

"Oh." Obito leaned closer to peer at his eyes, and Kakashi stiffened. He waved his hand and the Hatake resisted the urge to flinch, backing away before Obito could poke his eye out. "You mean you can't see this?"

"I can't see it, but I can sense it," Kakashi replied before groaning at Obito's puzzlement. "I can feel it with chakra," He added, hoping that Obito would know what chakra was.

Obito jumped up, excited. "I know what that is! One of the wrinkly old men told me."

Kakashi sighed with relief. "So, can I touch your face?" He asked, voice slightly sharp with annoyance. Long lost teammate or not, five-year-olds were annoying.

Obito seemed to detect that, because he immediately nodded and sat down, closing his eyes quickly and scrunching up his brow.

Kakashi stifled a chuckle (not a giggle) at how the older boy looked.

"You'll need to guide me so I don't poke out your eyes."

Obito looked scandalized at the thought, mumbling about the Sharingan, before saying "Okay" and grabbing Kakashi's hand. He nearly smashed it into his face before Kakashi pulled back.

"Slower," Kakashi advised.

"Oops." The Uchiha laughed sheepishly, before trying again.

Quickly Kakashi got a feel of his face )Obito was starting to fidget) and withdrew.

"Thanks."

An awkward silence festered between them with the absence of the light hearted conversation they had before, though Kakashi was sure it was only on his end. Obito was staring up at the sky and seemed to be counting the clouds.

"Sorry, I think I need to go." Kakashi broke the quiet first. "It's getting late."

"...Okay." Obito looked downtrodden, Kakashi hurried to fix it.

"See you soon?" he offered.

"Okay!" This was said with much more enthusiasm. Kakashi offered a wave and a short goodbye before racing off.

Now that he was out of younger Obito's presence, Kakashi could feel a pit of ice building up where he hadn't allowed it to before. It froze his insides and made him shiver.

Skidding to a stop in front of the memorial stone, Kakashi let himself collapse.

Kakashi rarely ever broke down. Even when he was younger, tears were seen as unneeded, as a hindrance.

He shakily lifted a hand to trace random names on the memorial stone, ignoring the tremors running through it. No names he knew.

Yet.

His mom wasn't there.

For once, Kakashi was glad he didn't have his sight, glad that he didn't see the empty space where familiar characters would soon reappear, replenishing his guilt and grief.

Unless he fixed everything. Unless he, a pathetic excuse of a shinobi who made more mistakes than anyone can count, fixed everything. Unless he saved the world.

Was it even possible? Kakashi's doubts, suppressed in favor of thinking of the more important swirled through his mind. He was blind. How could he do anything? Did he already change things for the worse? Should he have even become a shinobi? Was it possible to save anyone? Everyone's whose faces and names blurred in his memory as a mass of everything he failed.

He was getting nowhere. Wallowing in self pity wouldn't help. Kakashi had been honored (or was it cursed?) with the chance to do it all over again, and if he didn't make it work…

If he couldn't...

-

A few days after his (in hindsight, embarrassing) emotional breakdown was when Kakashi realised something was wrong.

Determined to not be caught off guard, Kakashi had started on the daunting task of compartmentalizing and strategizing.

He painfully dredged up memories of before his death, trying to avoid the emotionally charged moments in favor of those that could be used to help. Before he could get very far, though, a strange feeling filled the pit of his stomach.

It wasn't dissimilar to the sensation that occurred when the Kyuubi had called out to him, but it seemed less like something extra and more like something...lacking.

At first it was unnoticeable, a feathered touch. Less than a day later, Kakashi couldn't continue to ignore it. Deciding that it would be best to face it head on, he sat down in the living room.

Using the same technique that had gained him an audience with a bjuu (and Kakashi loathed to learn what would happen this time), he latched onto the virtual location in his chakra coils and pulled himself towards it.

Surprisingly, it brought him to what looked to be a library. More specifically, the library that he was always brought to whenever he was subjected to the deeper pervadings of Yamanaka techniques, something that was routine after an infiltration or high class mission and especially common for ANBU.

A library or something similarly organized was one of the most common mindscapes for shinobi that came out of wars due to their active need to pick and choose what memories to keep or push away.

Kakashi took the image of his younger self, surprising because avatars usually were called the 'reflection of the soul'. More expected, he had a jounin jacket that was shrunk to fit his small figure and a hitai-ie that was tilted over his normal eye, still normal. He never had his Sharingan whenever the Yamanaka visited.

Kakashi realized with a jolt that this was the first time he had been able to actually see, with his eyes. He stood still for a minute, just drinking in the colors that surrounded him. He didn't want to admit it, but he was almost starting forget what colors looked like.

Looking around, the library was slightly different from when he was older. It was almost clinically clean, books all straight and shelves polished. There was one window with the shades drawn, and light was provided by a central ceiling light.

The other library had been filled with ragged books, many of which were barely holding onto their binding, and the shelves had formed a maze. These shelves were in neat rows.

_He had been the perfect child soldier._

Despite the neatness, Kakashi still felt something was off. There was a pulsing in the air that felt almost unnatural, and something that he didn't remember from before.

Frowning, he focused on the image of the library. He conjured up something similar to an imaginary finger (a trick often used to help guide the Yamanakas around), then prodded it as hard as he could.

The library seemed to shiver right before his eyes, before disappearing all together like a phantasm.

In place appeared another mirage of a library, except this one looked worn down and abandoned.

Trailing his fingers across previously polished varnish left paths free of dust. There were cobwebs everywhere, and the window was now covered with rickety shutters.

Following the instinct that led him all this way, Kakashi cautiously maneuvered the books strewn across the chipped floor to the shutters. Carefully avoiding a protruding nail, he used the tip of his finger to pull the strongest looking shutter up, hoping it wouldn't collapse in his hands.

Behind it was an endless expanse of white. Without thinking, Kakashi flipped open all the shutters, and the light seared his eyes with an intensity that blinded him.

Kakashi blinked away the spots from his eyes. Putting a hand up to his forehead to nurse the throbbing headache, he looked around.

His stomach dropped. Surrounding him was the visage of an incredibly familiar room.

It was his old apartment from after he left ANBU and became a jounin.

Kakashi had to swallow back a wave of emotion. Somehow, this represented everything he left behind.

Sure, it wasn't great back there, and almost everyone he knew were dead, but the people still alive...he missed them. He missed Naruto and his loud, stupid attitude (and his Therapy no jutsu). He missed Sakura, with her sarcastic quips, her no nonsense attitude, her strength (actually, not so much the last one, he gained too many bruises from it). He missed Tenzo, his kohai, the one who has stood faithfully at his side with dry wit and a sensibility that Kakashi needed to survive through life (Tenzo always was there to fill his deficiencies, from ANBU, to jounin sensei, to war commander).

He shook himself out of his memories, and looked around. To him, the room seemed to emit a strange feeling of wrongness, past the disorientation. Something was missing, and it was something important.

But everything was in place. His apartment was bare of anything materialistic to begin with, only adorning it with a bed with a backup futon, a bookshelf, a bathroom, and a tiny kitchen.

Actually the feeling of missing something seemed to come from his bookshelf. Warily he drew closer. He noticed a gap in the books that wasn't there before. Dropping down, he observed it, looking at the books on either side.

Kakashi put a hand on one of the books (The Basics of Fuinjutsu Traps) and slid it out, checking if there was anything that got triggered behind it. He stiffened in surprise as he peered through.

It was like the bookshelf had no back; the wood that his mind told him should be there behind the book wasn't. Instead there was endless space, dark enough to keep him from discerning exactly what was swirling through, and light enough that there was visible depth.

Yet in the space where there had previously been no book at all, there was wood. If he had not pulled out the extra book, he would've thought everything to be normal.

Burning with curiosity, Kakashi started to remove the other books from the shelf. Time and time again, he was greeted with a black void, until eventually all the books were gone. A lone strip of wood still lay where the empty gap in the books previously was.

Kakashi pushed at the wood, but it wouldn't give in, and just stood there, light brown contrasting with the darkness of the void.

Hesitantly, he put his hand into the darkness to feel how thick the wood was. The second his fingertips met the black, his mind flashed to a memory long since buried.

_"Sensei!"_

_"Oops, sorry Kashi-kun."_

Kakashi came to with half his arm stuck in the space, his teacher's laughter and the smell of grass still lingering.

Hastily, he drew it out, backing up a few steps. His hands shook and he was sure his face was pale.

Now he knew what was missing. Some of his memories.

There was no way to tell exactly what was missing, making it all the more troublesome. Something was gone, gone for what could be forever.

And he had no way to judge the importance of it. What if it was a memory key to securing a happy and peaceful ending?

He skimmed through his memory, but didn't find anything that seemed abrupt, or had deficiencies.

What was it? A memory from the war? A memory involving Obito, or Rin? Maybe Minato-sensei? What was it?

Kakashi took a deep breath to calm himself.

He was thinking irrationally; that memory had shook him up more than he could admit.

Kakashi slowly retracted himself from his mind, waking up to his bedroom, where he had started meditating.

At least his chakra reserves had improved by a minuscule amount. He definitely not going to try meditation for a while after this.

-

The days seemed to pass in a blur.

Wake up, eat, train, eat again, sleep.

He never really met up with Obito again, nor did Kakashi actively seek him out. The first time was trial enough (he was _not_ scared).

Sakumo came back, safe and sound with Yui and tow, and Kakashi cried with relief that night, stifling his sobs. He didn't think he did good enough a job, because Sakumo was extremely worried the next morning. The only bad thing was that Jiraiya left, and Kakashi tried to figure out if he missed him or not.

He was improving by inches and yards in chakra sensing, though he still was below the level of a new natural sensor. Yui, while training him less due to missions, had started to intensify the regime with a desperate push that belayed his uncaring behavior.

Soon, though his genius was pushed aside as talk of war reached more ears, and people became more tense. A strange atmosphere set over the village, one he hadn't felt in years (the Fourth Shinobi War happened suddenly, and there was no one left with the time to describe the feeling).

One day, the Third called for a village meeting. Kakashi went with his academy class, and ignored the pit in his stomach.

The Third looked at the assembled village, split into armed and civilian forces. His gaze lingered on the academy students. When he made the announcement, it was with little fanfare: "War has been declared on Amegakure."

There was sudden keening sound, and a shinobi was dragged away by his shaking colleague, obviously suffering a sort of mental breakdown. The civilians were beside themselves with fear, and the armed forces not far behind.

The Hokage railed off with some general assurances, but the rest of the meeting was quickly concluded and the students were shunted back to their classrooms, morose from fear. Kakashi was glad he was with a group mature enough not to get excited at the thought of actual combat.

Training was pushed to the maximum, and the academy became a new level of harsh. The original graduating class and the one below it were pushed onto fast track, intending to have them out of academy within a few months. Once graduated, those kids would be sent, with a little prep training, straight into the frontlines.

Kakashi remembered a line from the Third's speech about contributing to the war effort through the up and coming ninjas, and connected the dots. No one was allowed to drop out, and the population at the academy was blooming. Kakashi tried not to think about it.

Sakumo was now on missions constantly, only receiving reprieve on the occasional weekend. Kakashi made sure not to bother him more than useful, but at the same time wanted to spend as much time as possible with Sakumo; _that mission_ was coming up soon.

There was no way to stop it. Kakashi had considered every plan he could think of, eventually resorting to planning a henge to go and follow them. But no, Yui was on the team, and would undoubtedly sense his chakra no matter how much he tried to hide it, nor did he have the chakra reserves for a henge for that long. He even considered telling the Hokage, but knew that he would end up locked up in ROOT or a mental asylum; who would believe a four-nearing-five year old?

There was no way to stop it. Kakashi tried to tell himself that, but one day his father came home with an unseen weight on his shoulders, face grim and haunted.

Kakashi watched in horror and crushing guilt. It had started.

-

Kakashi gritted his teeth against the glares, tugging his father along the path. He kept up a steady stream of chatter of mundane things about his day, but that was not enough to stop his father from glancing every so often at the people who whispered about his failure.

"And then we went to the bakery and it was so boring!" Kakashi pouted. "Everyone kept arguing over what they wanted. I knew what I wanted. A sweet bun." He nodded matter-of-factly and Sakumo let out a light chuckle.

He didn't mention how the baker had nearly refused to sell to him, before repenting because Kakashi had acted so much like his own daughter (he wasn't too happy about him being basically described as girly, never mind no one was around except some from the academy who were over by the cakes anyway), and now he was friends with the baker and had a steady promise of food should he ever need it.

Eventually, Kakashi and Sakumo reached the barbecue place. Kakashi, with a mixture of puppy eyes and pleading, had secured a promise from Sakumo to go out to eat sometime this week, since Sakumo was on indefinite leave. Kakashi adamantly refused to touch the reason as to why Sakumo was on leave with a ten-foot pole.

"Table for two, please," Kakashi spoke for Sakumo, who was looking down at the floor. The waitress, luckily enough, didn't pay much attention to them, more preoccupied with the hot customer behind them.

After they were seated, Kakashi started to scour the menu, while Sakumo stared in wonderment as Kakashi completely ignored the offhand and spiteful comments being shot at them.

When the first person who came in stared at them unashamedly, Kakashi glared.

"Ah, Kakashi?" Sakumo prodded the boy. "You're glaring."

Kakashi nodded absently at the observation, still scowling.

"I didn't even know you could glare when you are blind," Sakumo muttered under his breath.

"I'm not glaring because of you, I'm glaring because they're idiots." Kakashi clarified, before turning back to a slowly inching away couple. Sakumo almost felt sorry for them. Instead, Sakumo preoccupied himself with the fluttering feeling that surfaced every time Sakumo was faced with his son not turning away from Sakumo despite his mistakes.

(Sakumo couldn't ignore the nagging thought that Kakashi must think him weak—why else would his son feel the need to constantly reassure him? In fact, what kind of father was he—?)

The food came, and still Sakumo contemplated his son. Kakashi had always been a little odd; genius, yes, but laughing at jokes no one understood and sometimes getting the strangest look in his eye—deep and weary and hopeful, all at once.

Looking at Kakashi now, no one would be able to tell. He seemed to be another kid chattering away to his indulgent father, yet Sakumo knew he was forcing himself. The too wide smile, the flickers of disgust in his eyes when he spoke of something especially immature, and his constant glances, checking Sakumo every few seconds as if making sure he was still listening.

As if making sure he was still distracted, the White Fang realized. And it was working; Sakumo found himself listening to the sound of Kakashi's young voice instead of paying attention to those around them. Kakashi was trying to help him.

And yet, instead of feeling happy about this, all he could think of was that it was wrong for his little boy to be worrying about him like this, attempting to shield him when Sakumo should be doing the shielding. He was the father here, the one who should have more experience and wisdom, yet Kakashi was acting almost twice his age. What child worried about what their parent felt about their failures rather than being carefree? _What kind of father was he to allow that to happen?_

"Father?" A small voice broke in. "Are you even listening?"

"Well," Sakumo said sheepishly, immediately pushing away his thoughts. "Kind of?"

"Do I need to repeat everything again?" Kakashi pouted.

"No, it's fine," Sakumo smiled gently, pointedly ignoring Kakashi's worried look despite the sharp turn his stomach made. "Keep going. Just make sure you finish all your food."

"Yes, Father." Kakashi rolled his eyes, though internally he was skeptical about the apparent wellness of his father.

The walk home was quiet, with Kakashi somewhat uncertain about the atmosphere around his father and Sakumo deep in his thoughts. They both tried to ignore the occasional jeer or glare.

-

"Father?" Kakashi called out as he entered the household, sweaty from training. "I'm home!"

There was no response, and Kakashi quickly pulled off his shoes. "Father!"

When Sakumo wasn't in his usual seat in the kitchen mulling over mission reports, the time traveller felt the first stirrings of leaden panic in his chest.

"Father!" Kakashi called again, more desperate. "Are you here?" Pulse racing, he rushed to the study, pulling the door open and-

No.

(Red red red against white)

_No._

(Drip drip drip, down the sharp edge)

"F-Father?"

Sakumo spun around, a shocked expression on his face.

"Kakashi-!" His face suddenly went slack as the wound in his stomach forced him to drop to his knees.

"Father!" Kakashi rushed forward frantically, pressing his small fingers over the wound, a red cloud slowly blooming across the fabric. It was warm against his hands. "I'll go get a medic-!" though he didn't want to leave out of fear that-

"No, Kakashi," Sakumo's oddly blank stare bored into the boys panicked eyes. "You already know it's too late...you'll be free...burden I put on you."

"No...shi," the man repeated as his son began to shake his head frantically.

_Not again not again not again_

He chuckled, and it sent rods of fear through Kakashi's heart. "F...free..."

His eyes glazed over, and Kakashi sank to his knees, ignoring the blood all over the floor and how his face was wet and he needed to get a medic but there's so much blood-

"J...just...yo...mother..."

_Nononono—_

Kakashi shot up from his bed, breathing heavily.

He looked around wildly, expecting red. Seeing none, he collapsed back on the bed, coming to a realization.

It was just a dream.

Sakumo stared down at his son's white hair, confused and worried by the heart-wrenching sobs intermingled with broken explanations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the support! It's really pushing me forward.

**Author's Note:**

>  **[1]** Honestly, just the easiest way to get them all to the site of the main battle. She volunteered her own chakra for others to use, and they all shunshined to the location she gave her chakra. Or something.
> 
> I've got 20,000 more words already written, but nothing really edited so. Don't expect anything for a while. Also this is like 2 years old. its got flaws don'ttaketheprologueatfacevalueillfixit eventually.
> 
> Never mind just decided to also post first chapter too ok brain stop changing.


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